Retirement Highlight: Marcia Jasper

The “aha moment.”  The look of understanding and excitement that comes across a student’s face when they finally figure out a concept.  For Marcia Jasper, that moment is why she has spent the last 39 years teaching ASU nursing students.  “That is my reward.  When the student can put the puzzle pieces together with their knowledge, and I can help guide them to it.”  But that “aha moment” isn’t just for the students.  Over the course of her career, Marcia has had plenty of opportunities of her own to put the pieces together and grow into her current position organizing clinical placements as a clinical associate professor.

Marcia started her health care career as an OR (operating room) technician.  She enjoyed the technical aspect of the job, but was told that her bachelor’s degree meant her work needed a broader scope.  “Then I saw a baby being born in the OR and I thought gee, I can work in OB (Obstetrics), which has OR setting, and get to interact with more people.”  Her interest in Obstetrics became one of her preferred subjects while working on her bachelor’s degree, and would eventually guide her research later in life.  Marcia went on to earn her BSN from St. Olaf College, and shortly after was recruited by a local community college to become a teacher.  Though she never intended on being a teacher, she began to enjoy the academic field, and the ability to help students realize difficult concepts.  Marcia’s involvement with teaching eventually brought her to Arizona State University in 1976, where she would work part time, off and on again, until becoming a full time faculty member in 1996. 

The 39 years Marcia spent at ASU have been filled with successes, but two stand out as her proudest professional accomplishments.  The first was the completion of her master’s thesis at ASU, an original work titled “The Relationship of Barometric Pressure to the Onset of Labor.” This research built off of her initial experience working in OB.  The second was her involvement in developing an online system to support clinical placement.  Marcia was initially reluctant to join the project, but was convinced by the former associate dean Mary Killeen due to her ability to assess and solve problems.  “I never ever thought I’d get into a role that was visible in the community.  I saw myself as a back person, not a leader.  I don’t like being in the spotlight.”  Though she never intended to become very visible in the community, the project grew and expanded drastically.  Originally thought to be a short, six-month project, the development and implementation of this online system eventually grew into a three-year, community spanning project, and saw Marcia and her team receive Honorable Mention from the Maricopa Community College District Office for Innovation of the Year.

Whether researching, teaching, or pouring over clinical placement spreadsheets, Marcia’s love of developing solutions to problems has been a thread throughout her career.  “I like solving puzzles.  Everybody that does clinical placements loves solving puzzles.”   But with that love of puzzles comes patience, which she says is vital to students entering the nursing field today.  “If someone was in a hurry, I would tell them to be patient.  There’s a little bit of nursing that can be applied to every field.  Be patient and open minded, and don’t be in a hurry.”